


Foto

by zhaleys



Category: Infinite (Band), infinite f
Genre: AU, Basically, College, Domestic Bliss, Fluff and Angst, Gay, M/M, Myungyeol - Freeform, Other, Photography, Slice of Life, idek the name of this ship fuck it, infinite, infinite f - Freeform, kpop, myungsoo x sungyeol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-06 10:33:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5413523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zhaleys/pseuds/zhaleys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The lining at the edge of his lips is soft and perfectly curved. Sucking on the bottom of it feels like bliss, and nothing less than addicting. I step away only to stare back at it, knowing we both want to stay like this for as long as possible. I don’t want to look him in the eyes so I hug him aggressively instead, feeling the opposing push that tells me it would be better if I released it.</p><p>Don’t go you dumbass...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. To some accidental beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dayana because she waited the longest (s0rry)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Dayana+because+she+waited+the+longest+%28s0rry%29).



> Welp, it's finally time, and I'd been stalling on this for years, (yes literally) so here is basically the first kpop fic I've written ever ;'FFF. I know I never thought I'd be the one to write and Infinite fic, but at some point in my first year of high school I was sO into them that I just aggressively wrote pages of it on an ugly notebook. Needless to say my writing was complete sHIT at the time, but now I finally got to go over it properly: adding and taking out stuff, then actually deciding to retcon it to a degree but back to the pointtt >.> This one IS chaptered so RIP me, but honestly I had already taken a century to touch this again after a really long time and I'm gonna do this riGHt. (The original title was stylized Fotograph, but I changed it to just Foto since might as well go all out on the Spanish, makes it more unique) Either way I enjoy seeing everyone's comments and thoughts on my stuff so thank you and I really hope I don't disappoint with this one~~ <3

_BAM!_ Myungsoo’s head slammed hard with the rest of his body following behind on the cold polished floor. The blankets dragged along from the top of the bed down with him and wrapped around one of his legs, then his waist. What a way to wake up on a Monday. A monday! L’s memory suddenly recalled what was supposed to happen today and stood up, only making his feet knot even more around the sheet, falling again in misery. He manages to stand back up properly and furiously grab his alarm clock.

“9:56. I am so fucked!” he screamed, unaware that his next door neighbor, Jinri, could hear him through the half opened window that faced the city behind.

Myungsoo had never been a morning person, and today you could’ve agreed he wanted to get rid of that day on the calendar completely and indefinitely. It was all because this morning was supposed to be the day of his midterm for his Kinesthetics class. Well, not “supposed to”, it _was_ , and the time already marked 9:56am meaning he was late and more blatantly put: he was so fucked. It was obvious to him that there was no time to spare on anything like breakfast or getting his hair fixed. Luckily many of his classmates were familiar with his frizzy bedhair— which in all honesty didn’t look all that bad if you looked at it from a certain angle. Some students might’ve actually thought he paid to get it done that way. One of the few things in his advantage.

He entered his bathroom recklessly, brushed his teeth at a powerful rate, all while putting one of his socks on. There was exactly 20 minutes before the small ferry-painted bus left to his university. He couldn’t find his cell phone; 15 minutes. The look painted on his face showed frustration and anxiety without a doubt. Most of the time Myungsoo wasn’t the type to show just one emotion at a time. Not with all the crap he had to deal with on a daily basis. It’s true. A large part of it being his fault yes, but it’s not like he’d never admit it to someone. There was loud rustling from his bedroom all the way to the kitchen and back again. 10 minutes. Myungsoo couldn’t bare seeing all the time that was being drained at this point, so he finally grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder. He picked up a few of the pencils that fell from his bag as he ran out of his front door.

Myungsoo ran down the hall heading straight towards the stairs of his apartment building floor because as he often said: the _elevator is such a pain_. On his way down he bumped into his younger peer, Sungjong. He was also a student, but at another university. One just half a mile away from his own. They had attended one class together last fall before Sungjong was given a merit scholarship to attend EN University. Both lived on separate floors in that building now, but still they managed to keep the same close contact. There was a few times he could remember when they spent entire days in each other's rooms.

“Ah, hyung! I thought you had already left for your midterm an hour ago. I thi—!”

“Sorry Sungjong! I have to run or I’m going to miss this thing all together!” Myungsoo’s voice was tunneling as he went farther down the steps. “... and I told you to call me L!”

“Oh! Well good luck then hyun— … I mean L ssi!”, he said it louder this time so that Myungsoo wouldn’t miss it.

“Yah!!”

Myungsoo’s feet were already hot and burning. Now that he thought about it living on the 4th floor of a building was not the best idea. Even so, the view _was_ pretty nice. (There was even a battle to win his room over the first time he had claimed it.)

As he ran out the front lobby door, a freezing wind gushed right at his face. He squinted, but only briefly, small wrinkles forming between his eyes. _Why did it have to be winter now?_ he thought angrily. He managed to cross the first three intersections fast. Only 4 minutes until it left. Myungsoo ran faster and faster every time he glanced at his watch with minutes passing faster than they should’ve, damn it. The frown on his face managed to scare and throw a few people off that were also on the sidewalk; probably going to places that they’d actually be on time for, unlike certain others. God, they didn’t know how easy they had it by simply not being him. But Myungsoo decided now was not the right place for his internal complaining so he dismissed it.  All he needed now was one more intersection to cross and half a block to catch his ride to the midterm.

He was only halfway across the street when his vision abruptly changed and his torso was pushed in a somewhat painful blow. It had all happened so fast, but the pain only seemed to make time slower. Myungsoo only realized he had fallen right after the fact, his head still trying to gain the fragile balance it had just a few seconds ago. His entire body spread on to the asphalt only a few meters away from the sidewalk where he’d just rushed from. Some tiny pebbles made it on his hair and forehead which he swiped off once his hand could reach them. The sound of gears clanking and what looked like black cylinders rolling down the street was his next point of attention. There was a bicycle down too. It was black and silver, one of the wheels still turning rapidly in momentum. That’s when Myungsoo noticed part of the weight on his left thigh wasn’t all from the bicycle, but of another body. His headache was now worse that he’d thought possible. With both a bike and body on top of him, who wouldn’t feel sorry for all the shit that too often kept happening to him in such short period of time?

It was hard to make out their complete shape, but Myungsoo was so infuriated he quickly tried to push the weight off as soon as he could make out where it was. A car behind them honked right at his ear then flickered its lights twice.

The stranger was still putting some pressure on his thigh. Their face plastered dead flat on the roughness of the street. Myungsoo gave another angry grunt and got up quickly from the chaos. Only two head turns until he would find his backpack thrown sideways on the ground too.

“What are you doing?! You could’ve killed me!” Myungsoo shouted. He never raised his voice, so this was already a clear sign that he was beyond pissed. His hands dusted his clothes off in the process.

The biker turned his head up; still on the ground and with bloody palms that had been injected by some of the sharpest pebbles. The only reason you could say the streets were literally "dangerous" and it'd be true. Myungsoo jerked back a bit when the stranger was revealed to be another boy. Maybe around his age, but he wasn’t sure. Bright brownish-red hair, like the leaves in autumn, and lips so plump and full you could easily confuse them for a girl’s. He had deep dark eyes with a glint of green and a light scratch just above the left side of his chin. This was an appearance that stood out in Myungsoo’s eyes, like almost a legit model material. It took him a longer moment to stand up correctly compared to what was Myungsoo’s sloppy, but still somehow way-too-quick recovery.

“Oww....” he groaned and then looked at his palms stinging red. His ”I’m! I’m really sorry! Sorry!” came out at the same time he noticed Myungsoo just standing there, waiting for nothing. He was confused of course, and looking around at the scene. Well he _had_ just made a huge mess in no place but the middle of the god damn street. The first thing Myungsoo saw him reach for was a black block that he later figured out was a camera, a very nice on too. The type that you see in those elegant or important occasion shoots and also apparently pays really well. The boy met eyes with Myungsoo with a face like he could answer all his questions. Maybe he was just as surprised to see Myungsoo’s face as he was to see his. They kept staring at each other a sum of some more odd seconds which only made Myungsoo start to feel a little uneasy.

Just then, the stranger that had kept his eyes fixed on Myungsoo’s face nonchalantly took a picture of him. The sound of the shutter going off louder than Myungsoo thought they normally did. His surprise was already at a whole other level, a whole other _scale_.

“Wha—!? Why— why’d you take a picture of me?!”, Myungsoo was immediately embarrassed. They both had apparently forgotten they were still in plain sight of the entire street.

The stranger quickly realized what he had done, like it wasn’t as obvious already. “Ah! I’m sorry! I’m sorry. Oh my god. Sorry, again!”, he said as he grabbed all his gear with amazing speed, then taking off on the bike that Myungsoo was sure should’ve been broken from the whole clash. So many questions and a great confusion rushed into his head.

“Hey! HEY! Where are you going? and give me that picture back! Tsk!” Myungsoo literally had no idea what was happening, but no one had ever taken a shot of him out of the blue, out of practically nothing. When all the cars started honking again behind him, he ran to the other corner of the sidewalk. Only one question stood out the most: _What the hell was that?_

Surely that entire sequence of events drove his thoughts way off from what was his original objective. Until he did remember (and at some point regretted that he had) about that bus to make it to that one class! By now he was sure all the seconds he counted before had all ran out. He oriented himself again and ran what had probably been the fastest speed in his entire life toward the stop.

But again, everything had all fallen apart at the sight of the bus leaving its post, then disappearing with a slow, —and in a way —insulting turn at the corner.


	2. Don't just walk in

“....ah, seriously what’s up with people today?” Myungsoo walked the college campus scratching the back of his head and taking all the time in the world with his pace. He was much more relaxed now, not like what the morning had been, and for good reason. The midterm he was “supposed” to take at that “supposed” time was somehow now moved just for him at the kindness of his professor. Jackpot. Checkmate. Hurray. Whatever! The point was that he had a second chance to do it, and second chances were all Myungsoo was about this far down the line. _I’m so lucky, ahhhh! I’m so lucky! What an awesome professor._ He also didn’t usually think to himself a lot, but now he did. He grabbed the hairs at his head and glanced up at the sky in relief.

The time was 12:45pm now and Myungsoo’s headache was much, much lighter. After all the stuff that had happened in the morning he had to wait for the next bus, and then inevitably arrive late to his class. If he wasn’t as lucky, it meant that he was automatically excluded from the exam. He ended up waiting the entire session out for nearly three hours before he could come in and talk to the professor. His stomach growling from not eating anything at all. The professor showed him sympathy way too soon after seeing his personified version of a puppy-eyes walk. Myungsoo saw what he had unintentionally caused and used that chance to get another shot at the midterm, which he definitely didn’t deserve just for waking up late. Eventually the professor conformed. “I’ll give you next Saturday to do it in the afternoon, but no more after that.” _Yes!_ he’d celebrate.  Guess things always worked out better for the sly and manipulative.

But other that that, it wasn’t that Myungsoo was a bad student. In fact he was one the people at the top of the class. This was his major after all. He could memorize new things he learned fast, so he’d rarely even study, which was also  why he often spent too much free time messing around or going out too late. Imagine what a shitty professor you’d be if you let a top student fail his course for some random mistake? That’s the card Myungsoo liked to play.

Since that was the only class for that day, he was steadily making his way out of the campus. The sky was cloudy and the weather chilly. Only a few rays of sun came in through the clouds, but it was enough so that it wouldn’t be completely freezing. His bag leaned firmly on his back and gave him the little warmth he needed to have there. Now he could go back home and wait for his shift to start at the barber shop. While crossing the closest street he though back at that sudden photo that was taken of him.

 _Who was that person anyway? ...some nerve to be taking pictures of people he doesn’t even know. Especially if we’re strangers._ Myungsoo kept repeating this to himself a lot. _...not even asking me for permission for that. Shit, now I won’t know what he’ll do with it  after this. He did look like a photographer, but...why the hell would he want_ my _picture?_

Myungsoo stared down as he kept walking back on the direction of his apartment. He didn’t have any money to take the bus back the same way since he had been in such a rush that he didn’t bring the rest of his change. He just wanted to swing open his door, fall down on his bed and not care for the world for the rest of the year.  The photographer (and his possible intentions) were still at the back of his head nevertheless. _Just forget about it_ , he ordered himself.

 

\----------

When Myungsoo arrived at the 4th floor, Jinri didn’t greet him as nicely as usual.

“I understand you were late for your midterm or whatever, but I would _appreciate_ it if you didn’t yell so loud in the morning. After all, it’s no one's fault except your own that you over slept, so just be more prepared next time because I have to babysit two kids for the next few weeks. One of them woke up because of our screaming.” The tone of her voice was so unfriendly. It was truly a rare thing to see Jinri’s face that annoyed, even to Myungsoo who she’d known for the longest time now. Neither of them actually remembered how many years it’s been. Their bad long term memory was a special thing they both shared.

As he got closer to his own door, Myungsoo’s walk was dying off.

“Yeah, I’m really sorry Jinri,” he said not so honestly. Then he leaned in and gave Jinri a hug around the neck. “Please forgive me precious angel. Oh-so generous from heaven!”

Myungsoo had always been the playful and carefree type with Jinri because he knew he could get away with it. Jinri was the person that looked over him, acting like his center of peace. Being almost a year older than him, she always felt the need to care for the young. Well, Myungsoo definitely wasn’t _that_ young, but if someone was even a day younger than her, she’s still be the one to act like their guardian. It was just the way she liked to treat people.

She also fell rather quick when it was against Myungsoo. “Ahaha! Ok ok, but get out of the hall now! I need to feed the girl, and you probably have some sleeping to do.” That’s why Myungsoo knew that Jinri could never really stay mad at someone, even if she actually tried. She was so bad at pretending it too. He instantly read her the moment she started speaking. Any other person would've been taken aback.

“Thank you. Ah! my soul has been cleansed by your words!” he kissed her temple sloppily and with a laugh, then used his key to go into his own room.

The room was much cleaner now than how he’d left it in the whole battle-against-everything 4 hours ago. He assumed the “godmother” of the building cleaned it while he was gone. That was what tenants called the cleaning service woman. She was more like the homemaker but for the entire building. Her real name was Mi-Hyun. A kind 56 year old woman that says she likes to be around all the younger generation. She’d come to the right place if that’s what she wanted since something around two thirds of the building was students. Honestly, she was everyone’s mom away from home. Most, if not all the tenants in the building knew her, but no one really knows much about her own life or where she had come from.

Myungsoo plopped down on the finely spreaded bedsheets which caused them to give off all trapped air from all directions.

“Mom, the bedsheets are so soft...”, her murmured. Talking like his mom was actually in the room and ready to baby him. Not even a few years ago he’d be just as exhausted (or rather lazy) and his mother always washed the sheets for him. Never quite feeling the same way they did on his bed back in his first home. Well, this was his new home now, right? There wasn’t much left for him to think about that when soon enough Myungsoo had fallen asleep on the bed, not even bothering to take off his shoes.

That afternoon Myungsoo had also overnapped the start of his shift at work. His boss barely even noticed  because to again to his luck, it was one of those busy days. Myungsoo’s slyness and that attribute to get away with things was ridiculous. It was surprising that he still had that job, or any job really. He had come in knowing maybe a thing or two about hair, but was given enough chances to finally get everything right, and eventually also get a little raise. He must have some specially designated good fortune if he could go about everyday dodging every bullet by only a few centimeters.

To make up for it, he was okay with taking more customers than he normally would. Ok, it wasn’t double the amount, but it was like 5 more than usual. He actually liked the place too. It didn’t demand so much that you would always be stressed, but still he got to know a lot of interesting people because of it. The older co-worker sometimes told weird stories. Some sounded too close to a kdrama, but Myungsoo didn’t care that much to ruin all the enthusiasm he would tell them with.

The shop was able to close so much smoother than other days when it was  that busy. He left feeling more refreshed than usual. The sun was close to setting, but he would’ve walked home too if it wasn’t for that.

That night, when he turned over the blanket of his bed, his mind had instantly forgotten everything that the day had brought him.

 

\----------

Several days passed after that Monday and Myungsoo’s encounter with the stranger, photographer, or whatever he was (a biker?) was almost completely erased from his mind. His schedule didn’t really allow him to remember anything that didn’t have to do with school, food, or work.

One day thought, while on another shift, it had came back to him as he was looking at pictures that his boss was showing off in his (recent?) trip to Shanghai. It all flowed back like a pouring liquid on one of those energetic drink commercials. _I want my picture back, damn it._ Now the idea only made Myungsoo uncomfortable because he didn’t want a picture of him to be exposed in any kind of way, regardless of the content in it. What if it was being sold of at some auction? The thought of people actually willing to pay for something like that made him cringe and get weirded out because _how could anyone be making money using me like that?_ He imagined there was a group or creepers doing sick stuff with high school girls’ photos in secret. Not that he was even sure that it existed.

Myungsoo was sweeping the floor in a grumpy manner while some girls walking by would look at him and giggle. They probably weren’t even laughing at _him_ , but it sure felt like it. The place had recently been cleared from the past customers, so he was usually put on sweeping duty when the others had to get more supplies from the back. This time he didn’t mind it so much. It was a little distracting, so at least that part was working on him. They weren’t expecting anyone until after the rush hour. There could’ve been one or two people coming in at this time too, but that only happened when one of the regulars had the day off, or something he’d heard like it. What he really didn’t expect was the strange figure that appeared out nowhere and walked inside with a pitch black backpack. At first, Myungsoo didn’t notice it, but once he turned slightly and spotted it at the corner of his eye, he turned his head completely and opened his eyes wide so he could make sure.

With a fast finger he pointed, “It’s You. You from the street.”

The dark sphene color of his eyes told Myungsoo that it was no one else other than the stranger from that horrible Monday morning. The photographer who had captured and stolen an image of Myungsoo’s face. He still couldn’t recall what kind of expression he’d given him, but he was sure that it must’ve been embarrassing as he was still all confused about why he had suddenly been pushed down in the middle of his run. A small bruise had actually formed from that hit, but after two days it had already faded away.

The stranger spent a second trying to figure out if Myungsoo was actually referring to him because obviously there was more people in the room with them?! Then his eyes widened too to show that he had also remembered him. The boy running like his life depended on it. It must've been because this time his hair was flat and not frizzy like when they’d first met.

“It’s you with the hot-aired face!”, the stranger/photographer called back and his own face began to form a wide smile as if he was actually glad that he was being accused my Myungsoo. Was that even supposed to offend him back? What he didn’t realize was that the stranger/photographer had actually been searching for him.

Myungsoo’s was about to shoot something right back at the stranger/photographet until he heard the footsteps of his boss coming in after hearing their exchange, giving both of them a weird look.

Screw it, he wasn’t going to miss this chance, so he dropped his broom and walked up close to the stranger in a threatening way. Or at least he _tried to_ because in the first few steps he couldn’t help but to stagger from all the hair he still hadn’t collected.

“I know you have a picture of me and I don’t know why you’d ever want something like that, but give it back to me!”

The stranger took a step back and took back his arms, speaking back to Myungsoo with worried eyes, “I’m sorry! Ah, I had already apologized for that, really. I didn’t mean anything bad from it, swear! .. but I’m glad I found you again now.”

He said that last line in such a kind way that Myungsoo’s didn’t know how to react to this guy and that unexplained happy mood. He wasn’t angry but just confused again, his face still frozen in thought, exactly like that first time on the street all over again.

Before he could say anything, his boss interrupted with, “Myungsooh, don’t be impolite to our customer if he wants our services. Now step back. Are you here to get fixed up, boy?”

The photographer turned to face Myungsoo’s boss and said, “Yes, but... I don’t think I have to do that right now.” and then back to Myungsoo again.”This might sound really weird, but would it be ok if I borrowed your employee for the rest of the day?”

He shifted to Myungsoo in a secretive way which wasn’t secretive at all and whispered, “You know this guy, Myungsooh?”

“I swear have no idea who he is.” Myungsoo whispered back, already getting a bit irritated by this entire situation.

“Yeah, sure...” Myungsoo’s boss responded literally just after hearing what Myungsoo had said. It was evident this was the perfect setup to annoy him, which wasn’t something his boss got to do very often. Besides, the shop was empty and if Myungsoo really didn’t know this random photographer person, it wasn’t like one of his friends was taking him out to go to a party. All the while Myungsoo was just thinking if this guy he calls a boss had really just betrayed him right _in front_ of the stranger/photographer/now-enemy instead of backing him up with his whole stolen photo problem.

“You want your picture back don’t you?”, the stranger asked Myungsoo in a kind matter.

Myungsoo hesitated for a second, still annoyed at his boss, then he took off his apron which obviously meant “yes” to the this culprit’s question. He didn’t know why he was complying, but getting that photo was his priority now. If anything got worse, they’d probably end up in a fist fight, but his opponent didn’t even look like he wanted to fight that way , much less that he _could_. He walked to the back room to leave all the shop’s tools he had on him, then put on his own thin jacket.

His boss only looked in a sort of amusement before walking back too to do whatever he was doing before their encounter.

“Come.” said he and grabbed onto Myungsoo’s wrist to pull him out of the shop, more excitement than he’d initially shown, and Myungsoo was barely able to grab his bag in time.


	3. Smoothies and a bad personality

Sharp air hit Myungsoo right on the forehead and his eyes quickly became dry. Someone was grabbing and tugging at his hand without permission, he didn’t know where he was going, and was on top of that he was stuck with this stranger/photographer he had planned to fight or something. They kept up and power walked down 3 small blocks, a small alley around a corner that Myungsoo didn’t know existed, and up three steps to another sidewalk. His lead finally took a stop near some place that had the same type of door as the barber shop.

“Don’t just grab my arm that way! Have you ever heard of asking for permission, you _dumbass_?” Myungsoo pulled his arm away to disconnect it from the stranger/photographer’s.

“Hah, I’m sorry...again. I know, I forget to do things like that when I’m not thinking. It’s a bad habit of mine.” He started puffing out some air. At least now he knew he wasn’t the only one that got tired as easily.

Myungsoo didn’t say anything except keep showing a glare that said none of this was amusing him.  
In some sequence of staged occurrences, he found himself inside this weird shop and sitting down, the stranger doing the same across from him and placing a plastic cup down on a round wooden table.

“I don’t understand why we’re at a smoothie shop. Just give me my picture back.” The tone in Myungsoo’s voice told the stranger/photographer that he was really just looking to get everything over with.

“You don’t like my nice offer even though I already apologized to you twice?” The stranger was surprisingly tolerant of all of Myungsoo’s remarks.

“I actually hate sweet things, so I don’t really want any smoothies. I’d rather go home than waste time.” Like he didn’t already do enough of that on a weekly basis.

“I’m sorry again then. Heheh.” The stranger touched his ear for whatever reason he could’ve had. “My name’s Sungyeol by the way.”, he kept sounding friendly as he said his name, but Myungsoo was getting more difficult to crack with every minute that passed. His noticed his arm extended in attempts to greet him properly.

“Hmn...? You already heard my name’s Myungsoo. I want my picture back.” he slapped the other’s palm instead of shaking it.

Sungyeol laughed a bit then opened his mouth again,holding his smoothie with both hands, “RIght.....Um. I don’t actually have it with me right _now_. It’s within another one of my memory cards. I haven’t printed it or anything if that’s what you think.”

What a fucking plot twist. Just perfect. So he’d lied to him and gotten him out him out of work. Myungsoo couldn’t take this. “Why’d you bring me here then? and with a lie. You’re the one that owes me something, and if you don’t have it with you yet then I’m going back.” He stood up to leave the place only to have Sungyeol stand up along with him too.

“Wait! Don’t leave yet! I actually called you out to talk!” It was like the two had a nature of creating these public spectacles. One side of the shop turned in their direction to see what it was all about.

Myungsoo wasn’t getting a single thing the stranger/Sungyeol was saying. He just wanted his stupid picture for God’s sake, someone give him a break, “I don’t understand what your deal here is, but I don’t feel comfortable with you having a picture of me. Why would you even do that for no reason? And... you don’t even know me so—!”

“I did it because I like Myungsoo’s face!”

Myungsoo stopped, trying to come up with some other offense to say back. First of all, interrupting him mid sentence, and then that thing about liking his face?!

“What’s that supposed to mean? How do you even say that to anyone just like that?” If there was a way to measure confusion, Myungsoo would’ve liked to take it.

Sungyeol suddenly realized that hadn’t didn’t let that out right. He could tell the other was angry and trapped in never ending confusion by this.

“Ah! I didn’t want to confuse you, but I’m a photographer and when I saw your expression I just, really liked it so I— I took a picture of it out of pure impulse!” Sungyeol was getting nervous. “I’ll definitely give it back if that’s what you want...But, you really _do_ have an attractive face.”

Myungsoo felt like he was getting teased around with his emotions too freely. So who was he? Some photographer. Figured as much. What he didn’t need was all this extra stuff about what he thought of him or how attractive he looked. There was already enough girls in class that wouldn’t stop telling him the same. He wished Sungjong or Jinri would come so he’d have a greater reason to leave.  
  
“So it was all just your artistic intuition?! In that case you can keep it. I don’t want it anymore. If you say it’s really for your so called art..” He didn’t want to seem vulnerable to Sungyeol’s words, and honestly he was getting tired of going back and forth and just everything was getting so uncomfortable for him to keep going on with it.

“Eh!? Really?!” Sungyeol’s face brightened up. “I’m still learning a lot from all from photography, and this is great for my studies! If you’re really saying the truth, then thank you!”

_You gotta be fucking kidding me._

“Thank you my ass! If you’re the one that isn’t lying then you wouldn’t mind me knocking you down when you least expect it and then trashing all your photos, would you?” Myungsoo was trying to take control of the conversation now that it had come down to this. But in all truth, this photographer Sungyeol was being as nice as possible. To all his rude answers and everything else. Myungsoo wasn’t sure why he’d gotten so heated in the debate. He kept thinking too deeply on too many weird ideas that it just got out of control once he saw him again. There wasn’t a thing he knew about photography, so really he should be the last one to judge what an actual person did in that field.

Yet, Sungyeol’s reaction remained the same, somehow managing to make it _more_ happy that it already seemed, and that was exactly the opposite of what Myungsoo expected when he said, “If you want me to be your muse then I’d be happy to entertain you any day.”

That’s it. He was done. Myungsoo was so done. He was arguing with this guy that happened to be a photographer, and he hadn’t just bumped into him but also stolen his picture, then taken him to a smoothie shop to tell him that he liked his face and finally ending it all by saying he’d be okay with being his muse and Myungsoo was so fucking done right now.

“You’ve got guts to say that to my face even though I’m not a girl.” Myungsoo replied, wanting that to be his last statement on it. “I’m leaving now. And I at least still deserve a copy of that picture to see what it looks like...”

Without even thinking of anything else, Sungyeol took that as as an agreement to meet again. So he was either really smooth with words or Myungsoo hadn’t yet realized just what he had done. But that’s the last thing he was thinking when he zipped up and spotted the closest way to the door.

“Ah, wait... Can I walk you home?!” Sungyeol was really having his away without realizing it.

“You really do think I’m a girl?! I’m seriously getting annoyed now.”, Myungsoo said as he dashed out, leaving the untouched smoothie that Sungyeol had bought for him on the table. He wasn’t even a fan of cherry flavors.

 

\---------

The two of them walked back to Myungsoo’s apartment building. More like Sungyeol followed behind him quietly since he didn’t want to be more of a bother. But even from behind it was obvious to Myungsoo, so much that he could sense, the grin he wore practically all the way there. The building was much closer than Sungyeol had expected it to be, but because he didn’t see Myungsoo on a bicycle or on any other form of transportation, it made sense that it would be this close. On the other hand he’d traveled much farther just to reach the central edge of the city. But he had his bicycle, and apart from that enough money to take any train or bus that was necessary.

Sungyeol stared up at the five story building. A site so new to him he was somewhat amazed. It was big for sure, but not something that looked that expensive to live in. The outside was painted a light maroon color. He figured that these were the types of places university students crammed up and lived together in. It was a type of lifestyle he had a lot of questions about.

“You’re _still_ following me? I told you I already, I have enough stalkers tailing me as it is. I could rat you out, you know?” Myungsoo pushed Sungyeol on the shoulder hard. It could’ve been a friendly thing if it he wasn't such a stranger, but actually he was still having none of this photographer guy. ”Get out before the landlord comes and sees you here.”

Sungyeol really hoped he could at least see where Myungsoo lived in the huge complex. Hell, he was sure he’d be willing to go up to the landlord and ask permission to take Myungsoo again too, but he already felt lucky enough already just discovering this place. He decided not to push things much farther than they needed to be for one day.

Wanting to end things on a good note Sungyeol faced Myungsoo in his most sincere way possible, “I’ll get you your picture okay? Really. I know you may not look at me in the brightest light, but you can count on this promise.”

 _Not_ wanting to be even more of an asshole, Myungsoo only pointed a weak arm in the direction he thought Sungyeol should make his exit.

“I’ll see Myungsoo soon, right?” Wonder what made him think that. Sungyeol backed away, still keeping his eyes fixed on him, noticing how bright the light reflected on his hair. He waited a second to see if he’d get an answer, but then stepped back into the sidewalk, took a last look at the building again, and left.

Myungsoo tried to recollect himself after what seemed like the most unreal meeting ever. _Why’d I have to get stuck with a weird guy like him?_ He blamed his boss again, but then also himself for going along due to some of his childish assumptions. _So weird, I can’t even stress that enough..._

Now what was he going to do with someone clouding around him, claiming they wanted him to be his muse? He really hoped and wished that something as embarrassing as that would never happen to him again. And there was people all around, shit. He went over all the things they had said back in the smoothie shop and was now sure that he really had gone a little overboard. Not a little, a lot. More than he needed to, for crying out loud.  
Myungsoo was never the type to ask anything from some divine force in a prayer, but now that the carpet was cleaned and cleared before him, this was seriously the one and only time he suddenly felt it necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, here again! I've been trying to upload as much as I can. I'm sorry you might see some careless mistakes but I've been editing this as fast as possible. Half of this has already been (badly) written out so once the second half comes that will come out better. It's been kind of weird trying to find right places to end every chapter, and I want to make them longer too, but I'll just have to work with what I have. It's not as important I guess. This was just a mindless little psa~~ Carry on ;D


	4. Strands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After arriving at his room, Myungsoo thought that’d be the last time he’d ever hear from this Sungyeol photographer ever again and he was right... but only for two days.

It was Wednesday morning and Myungsoo had taken the day off completely from work and school. Buried somewhere between all the junk on his bed wrapped around his blue sheets. Sungjong had already left to his university only a few hours ago so there was no music coming from the bottom floor, and Jinri said she’d be out getting their groceries until it was evening. Apart from that, everyone else on the floor was fairly quiet during the late mornings. This was the kind of day he needed after what had seemed like the longest time. Sleeping in was just amazing, it didn’t matter a single bit what kind of person you were or what you did when you were awake.

He turned the upper half of his body in a weird position to hug the pillow behind him. It was probably his 4th, 5th dream, and then a steady knock at the door came disturbing all the peace he’d been in.

It would be unnecessary to say that he ignored it, because he unapologetically did. The sound of it barely reaching his ears for him to recognize. A greater part of him really wanted to remain unconscious. But the knocks kept coming, each time louder.

Another knock.

And another.

There wasn’t enough turning he could do to wrinkle the blankets any more than they had become.He was trying to ignore every single one of those damn knocks and go back to sleep properly, but once the 8th knock came in and he realized he was going to rip the pillow apart, he stood up, thumping recklessly so you could tell there was actually wood under his carpet.

“What now?” His door opened forming a strong breeze that parted his fringe by the mid section.

“Myungsoo! Your oppa is here!”

The door shut.

Sungyeol almost instantly realized that was not the way he should’ve greeted Myungsoo, or anyone really. He probably shouldn’t have said oppa either. He had forgotten how annoyed Myungsoo was by saying anything that insinuated he was a girl.

This time he knocked softly and with a broken laugh tried to call out again, “Wait. Wait! Myungsoo open up please. I won’t bother you anymore, promise.” He thought he’d get an answer but had to talk through the door yet another time. “Myungsoo. Yah! please open up!” A tiny pout on his face as he turned to check the hallways.

Without any signal Myungsoo opened the door just as quick as he had closed it and snatched him by the collar inside the doorway. He rubbed at the lids of his eyes to take a better look at the person right in front of him. He saw a camera, then up to that brown-red head and he knew that it was the stranger— his name was Sungyeol. It still wasn’t clear to him whether this was some sort of punishing nightmare, but all his questions started to spouting out at the same time he felt a gleaming need to punch anyone right up the jaw.

“What the hell? Why are you in my house? So you really _are_ stalking me now? What’s wrong with you?! I was trying to sleep too!”

Between his fit, and how fast he happened to throw out his words despite having just woken up, Sungyeol’s backpack fell to the floor with a thump.

His answer came in a much calmer and slower way. “I wanted to come see you in your apartment because I need your help, Myungsoo.”

“I told you we don’t even know each other. I just know your stupid name and that you’re a closet stalker. I’m trying to sleep right now! How’d you even get my room number?!” The repeated emphasis on the sleep was real.

“What? But... I just—. I asked. I think it was the landlord that saw me outside, so I asked her where you were.”

Must’ve been like everyone was in a secret conspiracy to mess with everything and anything that had to do with Myungsoo. He was in utter disbelief of this _other _person he still had the nerve to call his landlord had done this and went on to complain about her in a mad rant too.__

Sungyeol knew this wasn’t going to end anytime soon if he just stood there and let it all fall at his face. He figured that all this anger came mostly out of Myungsoo losing some of what he assumed was his planned sleep. Anyone else would’ve gotten the same way. Right now there had to be another resolve so he could calm Myungsoo down and not pour more fire into his already burning fuel.

“I... I have your picture!” Sungyeol said, cutting Myungsoo’s voice off in his on-going jabber.

It’d instantly worked.

“Eh?! Well, give it to me!” he demanded, totally discarding everything he’d previously said.

“I will... if you help me. And I’m insisting on it.” His hair again shone with the faint light coming from the outside. It made it into a warmer color. Myungsoo stared at it for a moment, then down to his eyes. His own focusing and sharp, half opened while Sungyeol’s glittered with determination. He was trying to come up with any reason good enough to trust him.

Myungsoo walked back before talking again. “I’m not up to do anything today...and you still look suspicious as hell. I thought I said I didn’t owe you any favors, why should I go along with anything you say?”

Sungyeol wasn’t anticipating to be handed a question that difficult to answer. Obviously it wasn’t the most respectful thing to go up to someone’s room unannounced, but he really didn’t have any bad intentions. If anything, he was just as good-willed as the first time he carelessly turned his bicycle and kept pedaling forward, too late before the red light lit up again. Myungsoo was in every right to be thinking this way of him. Plus it was true: he _didn’t_ owe him any favors.

“Is there something I have to do so that Myungsoo will believe me?” he figured he might as well do anything it takes to clear his name once and for all.

“Don’t try to look all pitiful,” Myungsoo went back to his annoyed state. “I just don’t get you, and you need to firm up. What do you want by taking my picture?”

“Uh... but I already said: I did it on impulse.” He took a stronger grip of his camera with both hands. “I really wasn’t lying when I said you had an attractive face. I don’t know if you’re looking to hear another answer, but this is the only one I have. I can do anything else if that’s what you want. I don’t want you to keep this defensive stance against me anymore.” Everything from his tone and expression was as serious and sincere as any Myungsoo had seen.Yet still, something told him there must’ve been more. There was not a person in in the world he knew or had even heard about that would be this tolerant and determined for something as superficial. Maybe he just didn’t know enough different people in his life to begin with.

He sighed, “I give up. You’re making my head hurt already. I’m not even into photography at all. I have nothing to do with it. Why would you need _me_?”

Sungyeol found that one hard to answer to, but he just went with what this feeling told him and hoped that it would suffice. “I don’t know... I just do. It’s something I have. Maybe it just makes me sound more crazy to you if I keep repeating it. I swear I’m not here to weird anyone out, but I honestly want Myungsoo’s help.”

At this Myungsoo knew the boy with the camera wasn’t going to separate himself from him no matter what he said. There was nothing really existent that made him a bad person at all. The longer he thought more deeply about this whole situation, he wouldn’t be this angry if he hadn’t allowed those mindless assumptions and accusations get way over his head. He felt this photographer deserved the break, not him. Who knows, he could’ve really lost a lot of expensive equipment when a good number of things had fallen and broken in an unfortunate display from his bike to the ground.

As if some (asshole) part of him still looked for that last excuse not to trust Sungyeol, Myungsoo hesitated a split second, but eventually there was no other alternative but to give in.

”...fine.”

“What?” Sungyeol wanted to confirm it just so we wouldn’t end up insulting Myungsoo again.

“I said fine!” this time loud and clear, so even Sungyeol had no doubt and his eyes brightened up way too quick. He started snickering at the same time.

“—but don’t come stalking me in my apartment again without telling me. You have more than one bad habit don’t you?” Myungsoo went on, switching his mood so Sungyeol wouldn’t laugh at him that much for letting the huge guard he had down.

“So, you’ll go out with me?”

 _Seriously, this guy._ Myungsoo’s felt like he’d just internally cringed.

“Don’t say it like _that_ , are you an idiot? And yeah, I can follow you today. I don’t want to go anywhere too far though.”

“Of course!” Sungyeol was already aware of his ‘not travelling to far off because he doesn’t have anything to go by’ aspect. “I already had some place in mind where we could go.”

“‘Kay then...”

Sungyeol just kept standing there, waiting for him to say something else or start moving forward.

“Well?? Get out here now! I have to change to other clothes. Eat breakfast or something. I’ll finish my nap too if you don’t mind.”

“Ah! Wait! But, Myungsoo ssi.” he started to give some explanation, but Myungsoo was already pushing him out of his apartment again, his backpack scraping on the wall until it was all the way outside the door. He realized he barely even got to see that much of his living room and kitchen from the corner of his eyes. “Uah—!”

Myungsoo couldn’t figure out why, but meeting Sungyeol had brought out a new side to him he normally wouldn’t be like to anyone else.They were a pair of opposing forces trying to compromise on the same thing with a different solution. It was all unavoidable now. He had decided he was going to try to be friends with a weird photographer he barely knew, so it would already seem like this was going to take a while for him to start treating him like an actual friend of his own. No, he didn’t hate it, but this was by far most unique way he’d ever started anything off. He could still hear him saying something despite already being on the other side of the wall.

“Wouldn’t it be better if I waited inside with you?”

“No, you can stay outside like you were.”

 

\-------------

In a short while, Sungyeol had lead Myungsoo in a walk to a public park northwest of the building. It was a brighter afternoon, but the park was still nearly deserted. Usually a place like this would be filled only within a few hours after the longer hand on the 12 had passed. Myungsoo was in his common outerwear with light sneakers and a dark blue sweater. He didn’t actually get to finish sleeping like he wanted to. The whole talk had kind of ruined the effort on its own. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to take his time to do everything else and leave Sungyeol to wait almost an hour swallowing all the light fog that clouded the entrance. It took possibly another five minutes to make sure that no one really saw him walking out with this guy. No offense, but there wasn’t any photographers that just came to hang out in the building and not throw anyone off with the wrong meaning. Meeting the landlord wasn’t enough for Myungsoo to accept Sungyeol into his home just yet.

“So why are we here you closet stalker?”, he said with an irritated tone. It was because the light was hitting him directly in the eyes instead of any other freaking place on the open grass.

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna keep calling me that all the time? Are you always this harsh with people?”

“Not anyone, just you.” Answering like it was nothing new.

Once he felt his knees getting tired, Myungsoo sat down on the grass with a bored expression and yawned. He was thinking it would be so bad to keep sleeping right here on the grass.

“You shouldn’t say that to me, what if I’m your hyung?”, Sungyeol laughed at him another time. This made him shoot straight up again. It hadn’t occurred to him yet that this guy could’ve been older than him. Like way older. Maybe close to his thirties. It wasn’t like it was a rare thing. He actually knew one of his professors, looking just as young but yet had two kids and who knows how many broken marriages.

Myungsoo pulled at some strands of grass just in as a way to prepare. “I’m from ‘92.”

“Hah! ‘91!” Sungyeol kept up the same gummy smile. “I guess you’ll have to call me ‘hyung’ now.”

“Sure. _Stalker hyung_.” Myungsoo looked back down and laughed that one to himself. Now he knew the age gap wasn't that large for him to freak out.

“Are you going to be serious about that?” Sungyeol couldn’t stop asking that again, but he was still tolerant since he wanted Myungsoo to really be his friend. He predicted that in some future he’ll too have another nickname that he could tease him with.

Myungsoo stopped rolling himself on the field and faced his body at Sungyeol who had been standing the whole time. “I still don’t understand anything. Why do you need my help to take pictures at a park?” He decided to stand up now but with a lazy pose, like someone who was on the verge of passing out. Looking up at the sky was a good way to keep him alert.

“I want you to set the mood for me. Right now this place feels lazy, but that’s only because you’re like that now. You’re going to help with that face of yours. I’m learning, remember?”

Myungsoo couldn’t figure out how any of that was related to each other. On another note this all sounded like he was going to be put to work when he thought he’d only tag along for a shoot.

“What am I, your personal model? I don’t remember signing up for any of that. Plus, you want _more_ pictures of me even though you still haven’t given me that first one?”

“This is only an experiment.” Sungyeol gave back another smile and directed it at the environment. He quickly shifted the camera again and stole another shot of Myungsoo. He was already in a sort of pose without instruction.

“Hey!”

Sungyeol looked into the camera maintaining his smile, then showed Myungsoo the picture. It was a simple, but still nice shot of the grass and two trees. One almost touching the left edge and the other on the right, close to Myungsoo’s figure. His face was so plain but it matched with everything all around him. It was a really good shot considering the deceiving ways Sungyeol took to create it. When Myungsoo saw this he didn’t snatch the camera away from him but just kept staring at the picture and thought, _What the hell....?_

He’d done that with almost no effort and it still came out a thousand times better than any picture he’d ever taken. Was this what they meant when they said some of us had an innate talent?

After several minutes, Sungyeol was done setting up everything he wanted. Myungsoo was going through some other loose pictures that Sungyeol carried with him. They were pictures each of different scenery. Most of them had people in them or part of their body that got cut by the edge . He thought these were a weird concept for pictures since the photographers he’d heard about took pictures of animals or the wild. Nevertheless, they looked very well done. He couldn’t tell if there had been a filter set, but everything blended in so naturally. The background complementing those who were the primary focus of the frame. One had a semi-monochromatic face that seemed to sink in with the faded background and the sky. Myungsoo honestly liked all of them even though he wouldn’t openly admit it out on his own.

“So you really _do_ like taking pictures of people. Must be weird for them having someone like you to photograph them.” He wondered how many of them he’d taken by impulse.

“Ahahaha. I’m not that awkward with everyone. I like taking pictures of people the most. I think that’s also what I’ve been doing the longest.”

“So you are a professionalist? You look too young. Even younger than me despite your age.”

“No, not exactly. (You mean 'professional'?) I’m in this group of other younger photographers. We travel to cities around the continent; some of us take photos to get published. Working for magazines or newspapers, depending on what we want. I wouldn’t call myself a professional yet, but hopefully I’ll become a photographer good enough to. ”

“So there’s more of you here? Please tell me they won’t stalk me too.” Myungsoo said instead of telling him that his pictures already looked so good.

“Ahaha. Not really. I’m the only one that’s in this city I think, but others are nearby. A town or city away, I don’t know. I guess I wouldn’t count as travelling right now since I actually live here.”

“Hmn. That’s good. I wouldn’t want to run into them the same way I did with you.”

“I swear it's not like they’re all a bunch of copies of me. Geez, already.” Sungyeol couldn’t stop laughing at Myungsoo’s comments. “But, yeah...We don’t come together until a period of time has passed, and just on some occasions. There’s these seniors that I really admire. They teach me a lot and all, but I also want to learn on my own experience...” There was a peaceful feeling in Sungyeol’s voice as he just kept talking about the whole thing. He wiped his hands on the grass after not being able to spot a tissue.

Myungsoo was coming to the realization that Sungyeol wasn’t as bad as he first thought. Just different.

He began to take pictures of the park by itself. Then he asked Myungsoo to move more into the pictures. Each time more than before. He gradually began to get more into the center scene. It seemed that Sungyeol liked the way he was posing naturally which was maybe why he never asked him to do something different. Ninety percent of the time he was just standing with his face in some certain direction, sometimes hands in pockets. It was somewhat weird to get used to, but it wasn’t an impossible thing to do either. He was sure anyone could’ve done the exact same thing as him

While they checked every picture Sungyeol took his turn to ask things at Myungsoo. Sungyeol wanted to know a little bit about his life the same way he had shared. Just to pass the time really. Myungsoo didn’t generally care about letting him know, but he was very plain about it. Especially the part about his college because as he put it: he only went there to study and spent the rest of his time working or doing something else with friends in the late hours of the night. It was the basic things about his everyday life. Nothing too personal or about his earlier past. It was definitely too early for that.

“You know it’s your fault I was late for the midterm!” Myungsoo exclaimed with a more awake voice. “I was lucky that my professor let me take it another time or else I would’ve just probably killed you by now.”

“I think I’m gonna end up having to apologize to you more often than I though.” Sungyeol shared his soft laughter, looking at Myungsoo like he’d seen that coming.

By this time the park was beginning to get filled with three times as many people, and both of them had less space to roam around.

“Let’s head back now. I’m still sleepy from all that work.”, Myungsoo said.

“You didn’t do anything that exerting though.” Sungyeol tried to argue.

Even as they headed back, Sungyeol took pictures of the buildings. He saw people doing different things in their balconies and wanted to catch all their humble faces.

Myungsoo again wasn’t sure how’d been dragged into this mess. He’ll admit: spending the day out wasn’t half as boring as he thought it would be, and it had been a _really_ long time ever since he actually got to appreciate even some little detail about nature. He was probably just tired the whole day and wanted to sleep an entire day out in bed. Whatever it was, he was nowhere near thanking Sungyeol for it. He was still too busy stealing pictures from strangers...

“What a stalker you are.” he said.


	5. Pebbles by the lake

In the following two weeks Sungyeol would frequently come and bother Myungsoo, telling him he needed his “help”. Myungsoo still wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean; what his help actually did for Sungyeol’s work. Was it even work that he was doing? He kept resisting sometimes, not wanting to go simply because he didn’t feel as enthusiastic. Somehow he was always dragged out as no other weak excuse could actually subside Sungyeol’s determination. Myungsoo certainly didn’t despise anything about him. There was several things about what he did that actually pulled his curiosity from time to time. Not the mention he obviously had talent, but Myungsoo hadn’t learned nearly enough about photography to know what talent was really like to other photographers. He only had his own photos to compare them with. Still he would’ve considered Sungyeol to be the best of them any day. So the more times he came, the more he tried to actually get involved in something he had a potential to gain interest in. Also, having some little trip outside kept him occupied whenever he didn’t know what to do with himself.

It was decided he would let Sungyeol address him as “L” at this point, but he still refused to call him hyung, at least in what was supposed to be a respectful way. Sungyeol looked too young and girly for that.

“You can call me ‘L’ if you want now,” he said by their fourth meeting.

He giggled. “I will if you call me Sungyeol hyung!” And then delivered a witty expression to the younger.

“Shut up.”

The second time Sungyeol came by they’d only gone to another block to take photos. The street lights contrasted with the orange tint of the clouds and Myungsoo would have thought it was witchcraft. Maybe not as dramatic as that, but for sure he couldn’t help notice how different the view looked in both photo and real life. Sungyeol seemed to get joy out of something that looked so simple. Once it was the end of the day he gave Myungsoo one of the shots he’d taken. It was in with a polaroid camera. (He had taken out a goddamn polaroid camera at this time and age.) Myungsoo saw his right hand had been photographed at the end of the page, dark and shadowed by the light above it. It was nice enough and he took it, forgetting that he still hadn’t given him the first stolen picture. Other than that their meeting didn’t really last as long, all because Sungyeol had come at an even later time. Myungsoo only waved bye, not knowing how else to part ways.

The bigger point was that now Myungsoo was one hundred percent convinced he could blame all his offensive attitudes against Sungyeol on the meaningless assumptions and theories he had fabricated. He started to relax more and trying to pass the time like he was with any other friend he trusted. Sure Sungyeol and him weren’t ones that seemed like they shared a thing in common, but that shouldn’t have been a requirement for being able to at least have a decent time with someone. Besides Myungsoo was also trying to get him into things that he liked, but never with the same passion Sungyeol had when describing just the lighting of a frame.

They went to the metal bridge that ran over a lake. The largest one in the city. On the way there Myungsoo recognized his old neighborhood where he had lived on the first year of university; it was still as dull as when he decided to move out. They also walked over past a vibrant green building they both had no idea existed. Compared to what Myungsoo would do everyday, he was feeling as if he had discovered an entire new side to a the city despite having lived here all this time. Either that or things had just changed so much that he didn’t notice it.

“What the hell? This bridge is so huge why is there only like 3 cars passing by every hour?” Myungsoo suddenly felt like asking as he walked down the bank, yelling at the same time in hopes that someone close by would actually answer if they could.

“Heh, this part is on the farther west. There’s barely anyone that has to travel to and from the neighborhood; probably still full of older people.” Sungyeol said just behind him.

Myungsoo turned around, still more questionable. “You know this place?.. Don’t tell me you _live_ here.”

“No. no.” Sungyeol snickered, “I’m over there,” he pointed, “on the hills looking south, so I see this place often when I go out.”

Myungsoo noticed for the first time ever that there _was_ houses on the hills in front of him. Not too elevated, but still high enough to be concealed by the fog. He never would’ve thought someone like Sungyeol would live in one of those. Was he secretly rich or something? Also shouldn’t he still be in school like him? The closest ones were maybe 18 miles away from here, a distance Myungsoo wouldn’t even bother traveling on a daily basis.

“You have a pretty odd lifestyle for someone who’s still in his boy phase and carrying around a camera like it’s your first time being anywhere.” Myungsoo shot at him.

Sungyeol only touched his chest trying to pretend how much that hurt him. “Ou-ouuuch. You know one day I’m going to find someway to get back at you. But I’m not as rude, and I actually like Myungsoo’s lifestyle.”

“What is my lifestyle?”

Sungyeol had to think about that a bit as he wasn’t actually ready to describe it.  
“It’s... typical,” he began. “but still interesting. I mean, I like that Myungsoo has a tendency to do things he hates, but on the inside you really do care enough about them to go through with it.” Another sight of his teeth through his curved lip and Myungsoo took it as a scoff.

“How can you even know that?” Myungsoo started to doubt, but actually it had made more sense than after he thought. He complained about having to do certain things, but always resolved to do it. After all, he’s still in class, he still had a job, he’s still here with Sungyeol on some random bridge he would have probably never visited if he hadn’t given in. It wasn’t until now that he questioned whether he was that transparent.

“I don’t know... My intuition?”, and Myungsoo just clicked his tongue at that simple response.

“Either way, am I going to be on these too?” He meant the photos.

“Umm, if you want. There’s really no one else to take photos of. I want to do long shots this time.”

“Long shots?” Myungsoo said while kicking a few rocks away from his path.

“The bridge is huge, so I want to catch all of it. You will still show up, but a lot smaller of course. We could do that for with the lake too.” The sound of the shutter doing a test went off twice.

“I’m fine with that.”

Myungsoo had to climb. He’d never climbed before. At least not like this. The metal crevices were even harder to grip because of how cold everything was. He never thought he’d go on to do this for such a trivial thing as a picture. It was even him that had suggested it too. The suspensions on the left looked great as a seating position, and Sungyeol thought so too, but he never asked Myungsoo to do it if he didn’t want to.

A few scratches here and there until he actually made it up, nothing too deep though. One of them went across his forearm and turned bright red, but that was all. Once he sat down, the temperature of the metal hurt so many times more than what he’d just done for it. He shouted immediately once he had reached it. “Take it already!”

Sungyeol got the message pretty quick and had to balance his camera as he ran back before doing 4 shots at a distance— just in case he was shaking it too much.

“Ok, I’m out of here!” Myungsoo didn’t hesitate in the least and just decided to take the leap out of the suspension, his hoodie wanting to fly off with the wind in the drop. The fall was a lot longer than both of them had thought it was when Myungsoo met ground and his entire body plastered down on the dirt in another loud thud.

“Arrgghh.” Sungyeol heard from afar making him run down to meet him. Two of his films falling down in the rush.

“Myungsoo! Myungsoo ssi! Ahh. Are you okay?”

He saw the younger cover his face with both arms and turn his body, probably still hurting from the fall. Sungyeol didn’t expect it when he felt a rock knock at his forehead and bounce right off.

“That’s what you get for me doing this.” Myungsoo rolled around again. Looking mad but still wanting to laugh at Sungyeol whose face was scrunched together trying to rub off the spot where it’d been hit.  
“Aishhh. You don’t have to be like that. I was worried too. I told you, you didn’t _have_ to do it.”

“Just help me up already.” Myungsoo hit him on the leg another time.

“So it didn’t hurt that much?” Sungyeol gave his shoulder so he could grab support. Myungsoo grabbed him by the arm in a strong pull instead.

“No. It still hurt like a bitch... That had better been a good shot because I’m not going back again to do it.” He noticed his shoe coming off and fixed it with his pinky.

“No you don’t have to! They’re good. I think. Even if they’re not, I’ll fix them somehow.” Once Myungsoo had pulled himself together, he let go. That was the longest he’d ever felt another person cling onto him.

“Yeah. You always fix them.” Myungsoo said and patted him on the shoulder. “Did you drop that?”

Sungyeol was confused until he looked the other way and saw the two film boxes only a few meters away, abandoned. He touched the side of his bag in reflex so he could make sure, and yes they were his. The sigh he gave in frustration was way too obvious.

He picked one up and Myungsoo helped with the other. The mud had sunk into them in nearly half way in. Just by this Sungyeol could tell they were already ruined. They were for his old model, less secure and with a bigger gap between the opening slit and the rest of the casing. Washing it off would’ve made it even worse.

“Are they fine?” Myungsoo asked wiping the mud from the inside off. He didn’t realize the act would only scratch them more, but he was ignorant about too many things still and Sungyeol didn’t—or rather couldn’t— get mad at him for it.

“No, they’re... The film is broken. I’ll just have to toss them out.”

“Shit. I’m--” Myungsoo began. But Sungyeol cut in before he could finish.

“It’s okay. I’ll get other ones... Don’t feel like it’s your fault. It wasn’t. I’ll get new ones.”

In reality his films were so scarce that to find new ones he’d have to hunt for months on every antique shop and online sites, and he was putting it so lightly. He wondered why he even bother to still carry around an old model when his camera was more than enough. Myungsoo didn’t know this and only hoped Sungyeol was saying the truth. He wasn’t much to argue about these sort of things.

“You sure?

“Yeah. I’ll get them.” Sungyeol smiled all hopeful again. “Anyways I got the real shot I wanted over here.” He raised up his camera, reflecting the dull light that it got from the clouds. “Let’s keep going before this lighting changes.”

Myungsoo smiled back. It was one of those times when he couldn’t help it. “I guess.”

 

  
..........

  
“Did they all come out like you wanted, stalker hyung?” Myungsoo mocked while wiping his hand and clearing his shirt from the dust. All the while still trying to glance over at his camera that was running all the shots over, Sungyeol’s head looking straight down and focused at every single one.

“Stop it.” he said referring to his nickname. “ I got the ones I really wanted. Seriously they look great. It’s so close to what I’d imagined.”

“And you imagine what I would look like in shots?”

“I always think about Myungsoo... I mean in the shot. Who wouldn’t?” Sungyeol justified himself.

“Hah. Did you think about it as you woke up? My arms are still stinging when I brush against them you know?”

“You can scrape them again if you want, but it wasn’t like I forced you.” he said trying to make a laugh and then reaching out to touch the red lines.

“You’re so ungrateful even though I got you the perfect shot. You won’t admit it now, but it was because I insisted that we were able to pull it off.”

That was the first time Myungsoo had ever acknowledged that they shared the credit for all the pictures. It made Sungyeol feel so at ease that he had completely forgotten about the films for a minute. Myungsoo was the perfect person for this after all.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right, Myungsoo.” Sungyeol said before he began to drift off into some other far away thought.

“I told you I’m okay with just L.” the other’s sudden remark prevented him.

“I thought that was a joke. What does L even mean?”

“It doesn’t mean anything. Everyone I know calls me that.” But really the people Myungsoo knew forgot to address him this way nearly all the time. Sungjong was the closest one that ever got to say it on his own without having to need a constant reminder.

“I don’t know... What’s wrong with your own name?”

“My proper name is some other thing.” he paused. “If you can’t get it then you’ve probably been lost already.” His last note ending in a way that insinuated Sungyeol was dumb.

“I like your own name.” Sungyeol kept hesitating.

“Whatever. You already dragged me all the way here.”

“But the normal you is the one that looks the best in my photos.” He didn’t try to mask that compliment at all. It was true the way Myungsoo looked in every shot was no natural, it had another type of feeling to it. Myungsoo had another type of aura all together; or at least to Sungyeol he did. That’s why he never had to direct him on what type of pose or expression to make. Just the natural him was all he wanted. It was all the photo needed. You couldn’t force something that was already set to be a certain way or else it’d be completely noticeable. This was also why it was so easy to get this many shots in just one day when it was about Myungsoo.

It was him that interrupted Sungyeol’s thoughts for a second time when he said, “If the photos say so, Sungyeol.”

But this wasn’t enough for Sungyeol and he had to get in front of the other’s steps so he could look at him properly. “Myungsoo, you’re perfect.”

And all Myungsoo could do was flush his way ahead into the next two blocks before reaching his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one came kind of late. Actually since I was retconning the story, none of this was in the original draft, so I had to plan all of it as I went xP. I still think it came out nicely, you're getting to know more about Sungyeol this way which was something I really messed up on the OD.


	6. Another type of shot

There was a lot of visits at the barber shop. Every two days or so, and that sometimes made Myungsoo feel weird inside. It’s like having your mother pick you up from school or music practice. Sungyeol always came in like it was the most normal thing ever. Myungsoo’s boss was for some unexplained reason still okay with this. It could have been because Sungyeol was now becoming a regular at the shop, and he thought that had to do with the increased amount of people that started coming in the lazy hours. Even though he let Myungsoo go off on unpredictable occasions, he would keep him win when there were times like that. Sungyeol couldn’t go against it and rather just decided to wait without knowing that by the end of his shift it would already be night time.

One such day Myungsoo was prepping all the clippers on the counter by the giant mirror. Disconnecting and connecting each of them while at the same time checking their cleanliness. It was a repetitive thing, but he’d gotten used to it so much that he went relatively fast one after the other.

“That photographer boy not coming by today?” his boss startled him from the back, making him jump only slightly.

After seeing it was only him, Myungsoo went back to switching the blade on one of the clippers “Who knows. I never get any memo from that guy.”

He was evidently trying not to get Sungyeol so involved in his work life. There was too many of his co-workers out to get him by now he wouldn’t want either of them to be the center of one of their jokes. Also, Sungyeol would’ve probably given them the wrong idea just by being there as himself. That’s why you can’t really get used to a guy like him until you’ve passed time (taking pictures if that’s what it was supposed to be...).

“Ahh, but aren’t you guys good friends now? He came by a few times in a row already didn’t he?”

“You mean because you invited him in on like half of those times?”

  
“Hey he does well with the ladies and some of the children that come by.” his boss kept laughing. “I think he met my son the other time, did you see him?”

Myungsoo couldn’t remember anything like that even if he tried.

“Oh, yeah. I saw them.”

His boss looked over to the door as if he’d walk in any moment. “Well it’d be nice if the lad came by today too. Maybe be can take us photos for our new banner.”

 _Sungyeol’s not gonna come just so he can take pictures of the freaking shop._ Myungsoo didn’t know what annoyed him more: talking to his boss while he’s supposed to be working or talking to his boss about anything that had to do with Sungyeol. It was a red zone. For now it was. Getting used to seeing Sungyeol here all the time was not something he thought he’d be capable of doing. He was sure his mere presence would be distracting to himself and everyone around.

“You seem to like him so much, why don’t you just offer him the job?” Myungsoo joked.

“That’s not a bad idea at all now that you say it.”

He bumped his forehead to the mirror in frustration, knowing that his boss wouldn’t have gotten any bit of the sarcasm he always gave him everyday he put on his apron. It’s possible the only reason he even made it in was because his boss kept taking too many of his sentences seriously.

“You should know, Myungsooh. That’s a good friend you got there. Weird and witty, but still the right amount of humbleness. Reminds me when I was in high school...”

_I’m on my third year of university, you geezer._

But it wasn’t that Myungsoo didn’t like talking to his boss all the time. When he talked about Sungyeol it just made him tense; he didn’t know what he could possibly say about him to other people. Plus there was a point to what his boss had said. Sungyeol _was_ weird (and the extra stuff). Really like no other person he’d ever thought he’d call “a friend”. How do you talk about that person to someone when even you can’t describe it for yourself. Sungyeol was Sungyeol. That was it.

Anyways it was sometime in January and Myungsoo had more work than usual. Sungyeol had stuck his head into the shop even when they couldn’t take photos afterwards, and the noonas liked him obviously. Every year had the same beginning except for this one.

Sure enough it was Sungyeol that knocked on the glass door only some time later, like he didn’t know he was already invited in. He was wearing something different. A lighter shirt that was odd because he had always worn kind of dark clothing. It was actually nice after getting used to seeing it on him, black collar and dotted pattern all around. This time he wasn’t holding his camera, but it was probably in his bag as it looked bulky from the side.

“Myungsoo-ie. I found you.”  
“I work here.” he said for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Heh. I thought you’d say that.” Sungyeol stepped in, careful not to bump his bag with anything around the door.

“Sungyeol-ah!” The boss said across the room  
.  
He smiled and gave a quick bow. “Hey Boss, having a good day?”

“Now that you’re here, we will!” and they exchanged an on-going laugh that Myungsoo felt uncomfortable being in the middle of. One of the other workers (his name was Hyeok) waved and said hi too. He was one of the more oblivious ones so he didn’t care as much about him.

“Are you here to take anything? I won’t be off until after sunset, and I have to study some.”

“No that’s fine.” Sungyeol assured him. “Actually I’m here to really get a cut this time.”

“Ah, he finally fell!” the boss and Hyeok played. They were waiting for a day when he’d actually come to the shop to do just that. Myungsoo on the other hand had totally forgotten about the first time he actually came with the intent to cut his hair. It’d grown a little bit since then; the ends barely touching his shoulders. He often had his hair parted at the front so it wouldn’t cover his eyes.

Sungyeol laughed with the two in a delayed start. “Ahh... Yeah, so, where do I sit?”

“Oh here, here, boy! Myungsooh is blocking the way. Move around the chair.”

Myungsoo moved away from the counter even if that didn’t sound like an order he’d normally follow. It was fine since he only had the second to last clipper on his hand. They all stared at Sungyeol as he took his place on the seat at an awfully slow pace, like he didn’t know how he would find his way on it. In a few seconds he became relaxed after sinking into the thickly padded foam. He was for some reason eager about the whole thing, but everyone already knew it was _just_ a haircut.

Sungyeol turned his neck in alert to see what was happening.

“Is Myungsoo ssi going to cut my hair?” he smiled at the other wall, but the younger only gave a cringe back to show how annoyed he was.

“What am I, your servant? I think I already do enough.”, he threw away his wipe. “Besides, I only do alignments and fades. Is that what you’re gonna get?”

“Oh, no.” Sungyeol’s mood slightly changed. “I just want to get a few inches. The way I looked when I first came in, and then a little bit more on the back.”

The boss broke in, “That’s fine Sungyeol. We have someone in the back that does trims. Your hair is surprisingly a lot longer than everyone else we get here. Glad you still stuck!”

“Is that..?” Sungyeol combed his hair with his fingers involuntarily questioning himself. Maybe he really could’ve gone to the hairdressers that were closer to his house, but he knew that wouldn’t feel the same compared to here. Myungsoo worked here.

Even if Sungyeol couldn’t get to see how he could cut his hair, just being there was good enough in the end. In the least Myungsoo was the one that wrapped a cape around his shoulders. Wrapped wasn’t the right word, rather he trapped him in it without any signal that he would do so. Too fast that Sungyeol didn’t realize it was him until the back knot was already done.

“Thank you Myungsoo ah~.” he said still glad.

“I’ll bring them out.” Myungsoo let know before tapping the side of the chair.

“It’s okay Myungsooh, he’s already coming here.” The boss announced.  
And surely some other employee Sungyeol didn’t quite remember walked in from the shadow of the back door. He had jet black hair, the kind that’s so deep it had a blue tint to it. It was different from Myungsoo’s which was more towards a soft black. He wiped his hands too on a smaller towel, much dirtier than the ones everyone else had. You’d think he was changing the oil in a car if they weren’t at barber shop.

“Who’s the one for the trim?” he asked at apparently no one.

Myungsoo answered before anyone else could. “This here. The stalker of the shop.” A finger pointed down at Sungyeol’s innocent skull.

“Hey! Not here too.” he protested against the persisting nickname.

“Hi. I think I saw you last time.” The new employee pointed at Sungyeol too. ”You’re Myungsoo’s partner.”

Of all labels he chose _partners_.

“We’re not ‘ _partners_ ’. He just waits for me at the end of every shift a.k.a. yes, sadly, he’s a stalker.” Myungsoo explained as a sort of comeback to both of them.

Sungyeol only kept staring back and forth at them. Everyone was already getting comfortable listening to the conversation on the other spare stools opposite of the mirror.

“I don’t really remember you, sorry.” Sungyeol said to him.

“, and he forgets about important things all the time too.” Myungsoo kept butting in as if he was the narrator of all of Sungyeol’s actions.

The other gave a weak laugh. “That’s fine. I’m not really new here, but I came in just before the year ended. I’m mostly at the back during this time, that’s probably why we barely see each other.”

“Oh.” Sungyeol didn’t know if he should bow at this time, but his position sort of prevented him.  
“Give him a really bad one for that, Woohyun.”

“I’m not out to get fired like you.” the other employee said, whose name Sungyeol figured out was Woohyun.

“I’ve already been here way longer than you.” Myungsoo seemed to want to be more talkative now.

“Well, I’m here full-shift unlike--”

“Yah! Can’t you stop arguing? Sungyeol ssi is waiting for his cut.” Hyuk surprised everyone by ending their fight, which most people can’t tell is almost always for their fun.

“Yeah, Myungsoo. We have to do our job.”

He walked over next to Sungyeol to wait. “Don’t take forever like that last time with the curious noona.”

There was obviously more life here than Sungyeol had initially known about. From there he only went on to follow whatever instructions were given to him. Everyone was still surrounding him until only a few minutes in another man holding a toddler stepped in. Myungsoo didn’t even flinch. It was apparently his self declared break time. He was possibly curious about how Sungyeol’s hair would get trimmed.

Woohyun mostly just moved his head by himself. Always going for his temples. Sometimes when Sungyeol would be focused and staring at some inanimate object or his own reflection, everything jerked at another direction. And he didn’t know if this was him thinking something else he shouldn’t have, but the feeling of Myungsoo looking directly at the back of his ear struck him. Sitting lazily, just staring and staring indefinitely at Sungyeol’s figure. But everyone was looking too right? Toward the end both him and Hyuk went around trying to see what work Woohyun was doing on the back. The sound of the scissors was short and soft so he was sure nothing bad was happening. For some reason having his hair played with was starting to become soothing, even though he knew that wasn’t exactly happening.

“I think I’m done here.” Woohyun set everything down on the counter, which only made more work for Myungsoo at it.

Sungyeol touched again on the sides of his head and once at the back. It was smooth. Nothing like the boxy cuts he once had a few regrettable years ago. It was a really well done cut. His neck was a lot more visible too. The boss paid attention too to see how it had turned out. Myungsoo was still on the plan to stall on every other task he had to do now that it was over.

“Thanks, Woohyun ssi.” Sungyeol tried to spot him as he turned all the way over.

“How is your hair like silk? You have a cinnamon color too.” Myungsoo stroked one of his locks, startling him.

“Hey, _now_ you want to touch my hair?” Sungyeol brushed his hand off

“Don’t be jealous of me for this.” Woohyun joked again.  
“I’ll only be jealous when your shift becomes shorter than mine.” The war of comebacks was still at its peak. “.. but it’s still a good cut either way.”

Sungyeol used this as an opportunity to play around too. “Myungsoo-ah likes my cut?” and he grabbed his hand in a disturbingly cute way.

Myungsoo then pushed him off with a palm on his forehead. “Your cut is _normal_ , stalker noona!”

But Sungyeol kept laughing until he exhausted his lungs.

Woohyun couldn’t stop himself either. “You two really are like night and day, aren’t you?”

“Only when we feel like it.” Sungyeol responded trying to make Myungsoo laugh too.

He said nothing except leave to the back room with a smirk lingering on his face.

 

\-------------

There was a sharpness to the air and Sungyeol remembered that he didn’t really bring a thicker jacket for himself apart from what he was already wearing.

“Seriously you can go home now. I don’t need a walk back... I mean we didn’t take any photos today.” Myungsoo said just as he was stepping outside of the shop. Only the boss and a few others stayed to close early.

“No, but I like walking back after seeing Myungsoo ah. Even if it’s just for company.”

“Won’t the way back be even longer by yourself?”

“The way back feels faster after I’m with you.”

“... If want to keep following me I guess.” Myungsoo didn’t argue past that. It was those types of things Sungyeol would say that he often didn’t have a better answer for. Mostly because he just said them as normal as ever. Now it didn’t surprise him why he acted totally alert when he said all those things the first time they talked in the smoothie shop. He figured that’s just how comfortable Sungyeol got with some people. It’s good there wasn’t that many girls around him or else they would have always gotten the wrong idea from him.

“Everyone at the shop was really fun today.” Sungyeol started.

“Huh? Oh, them. They’re always a handful.”

“They’re good friends, really.”

“Why? You don’t have any others?” Myungsoo said without thinking.

“Heh.”

“I’m joking.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.” Sungyeol went back to smiling, knowing Myungsoo was just being him. “No... Actually I don’t. I mean, except for my group and the photographer hyungs, I haven’t really spent a day like this in a while.”

That seemed hard to believe for someone who was the personification of a smile like Sungyeol. Now that he considered it, Myungsoo didn’t even know what kind of place he lived in and whether there was even people you could befriend there. Maybe they saw Sungyeol as an outcast. No, wait. He was clearly different from any random person, but not the point of isolating him from everyone else. If he’s so outgoing, why wasn’t it until he met Myungsoo that he was spending more time with others?

“I think... I don’t know. It might be the same for them? I focus a lot on my photos, and I hadn’t ever had someone to help like you’re helping me now.” He scratched his nape. The cut made his face look fresh and paler than usual under the light.

“What about school? Don’t you go to a uni at your age?” Myungsoo really wanted to know about this.

Sungyeol looked at him like trying to recall something. “Oh, uni? Not really. I haven’t been there in a while. I graduated early.”

“ _What_?!” Myungsoo was completely taken aback. “What do you mean you graduated early? Is that even possible?” He wouldn’t have expected Sungyeol to be an actual savant years ahead of his age.

“Why? It’s not that weird. Don’t people graduate early at your school?” Sungyeol looked like he was learning an entirely new concept about society.

“No one _ever_ does that. Even if they want to.” Myungsoo told him.

“Oh, well, I think I had a special case from everyone. My parents, they started me in school a year earlier than I should’ve. Then... I don’t know what happened. I didn’t need that many classes in uni to pass.”

 _Is this what they call actual jackpot luck?_ Myungsoo would have been the first to give anything to finish school early.

Suddenly Sungyeol remembered. “Ah! Actually, since I wanted to do photography, you didn’t need any supplement knowledge classes in my school, and the group I’m in recruited me. So, I went only two years and then my graduation was negotiated by them since I was already devoted to becoming a photographer. Yep, that’s why.”

Myungsoo was in plain disbelief that this could even happen, and to Sungyeol at most. He was regretting not going into photography earlier, but none of that even mattered at all since he knew Kinesiology was already a separate game he had to finish.  
“You’re way to lucky to have graduated early. You don’t even know how much my classes drain me.”

“Are they draining, or are you just not as awake as you should be during them?” Sungyeol looked to the sky nonchalantly.

“You really want to challenge me again?” Myungsoo didn’t realize this was only a part of him rubbing off on Sungyeol.

“Ah, no, no, no!” Sungyeol put his palms up in defense. “I don’t want to play unfairly. I’ll wait until you graduate for real.” Now he was just taking it this to another level.

“Honestly.” Myungsoo was still asking himself why he even kept hanging around with Sungyeol. But really he was answering that question himself more every time that he did. He was one of the few that could counter both his humor and personality. Anything they’d say would quickly turn into this, not forgetting Sungyeol’s never ending laughter.

He wiped his eye gently. “Myungsoo ah. You’re actually more gentle than you look.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re gentle. With me that is. I don’t know why I always think back on when you first talked to me and it’s so much different than it is now, but at the same time it’s not.”

Myungsoo never thought about it that way. He didn’t think Sungyeol had changed his general personality, but it was true he accepted every time he was around. Even after today, he might’ve accepted every next visits he made to the shop. What was odd was that Myungsoo didn’t acknowledge that sort of thing right on the spot. They talked the same, but now there was so many things that went under it. He wondered if it had been like this with all his other friends.

“I guess. Isn’t it because you understand my language better?”

“That’s part of it, I think. Maybe it’s all it is. I’m not even sure what I’m referring to here. Myungsoo ssi is just a lot of fun to be around now.” Sungyeol’s face flushed slightly from the center.

“I’m always credited for being fun.” The black strands of his hair moved in order with the breeze.

It was practically already night time as the sun had set during their conversation. It was cold, but neither of them could feel it as much with every exchange and comeback. This was the part about walking back together that made it so enjoyable for Sungyeol. It felt like they had been talking for an hour when there was still twice as many blocks to make it to the building.

“Yeah, if you feel like it.” he said, knowing that they’d have a lot more to say before the end.

 

\------------

Sungjong would say to Myungsoo, “I see that you’ve been getting along with that photographer guy.”  
“What?”

It was one of the few occasions where they sat down together to have breakfast. When neither of them had a morning class and finals were past them. Myungsoo often liked it because they could catch up on stuff they hadn’t told each other before.

“That guy. Longer hair, auburn almost? Must be fun.” He put a cracker in his mouth.

“What’d you mean? You’ve seen him?” Myungsoo didn’t actually mention anything in detail about who Sungyeol was or what they did.

“ _Seen him_? He’s here like every other day isn’t he? He asked me once if you were home, but you were about to start a shift I think.”

“You talked to him too?” Myungsoo realized there should’ve been an earlier time where he talked about this. “What did you say? The landlord didn’t come out or anything right?”

“That was a while ago. And, no, it was just him and me. I said you were probably at the shop and then he walked off. I see him leaving the block from here when I’m about to arrive too. Pretty clingy too is he?” Sungjong snickered, still keeping his food inside.

“Ughgh.” Myungsoo slouched down on the table hitting his chin with the edge of his plate.

Sungjong was so amused at this. “What? What’s up with him? You don’t always hang with one person on consecutive days. I think last time you and I hung out was almost two weeks ago right?”

“Are you trying to make fun of me?” He could hear how grumpy his own voice was.

“No! I’m just curious. I was starting to wonder if you’d ever tell me too. He’s probably really interesting if you’re going with him all the time.”

“I don’t go all the time. He just drags me along. He has this habit of just following me all the time.” Myungsoo explained it.

“Ah, but he still always comes back, so you’re not rejecting him. He’s already your friend, right?” Sungjong reasoned.

He pulled himself back up to grab his glass. “Yeah, he’s my friend. Technically. He’s a little different though.”

“Different? How? He’s a photographer isn’t he? Always talking about pictures and such?”

“Well, he does talk a lot about that, but not just that. It’s the way he _is_.” he said drinking. “When I first saw him I think I would’ve just punched him in the throat.”

Sungjong bursted. “Ahahah! That sounds just like you, hyung. Obviously you didn’t I assume.”

  
“No... but then he’s just been pulling me to different places, saying he needs help taking shots. At the shop too. Everyone knows him.”

“Wow, the boss lets him stay?”

“Says he brings in the younger customers. I think it’s the same though.”

“If I didn’t know better it sounds like he likes you or something.” There was a piece of food caught between Sungjong’s teeth, he tried to get it using his tongue.

“I think I’ve gotten plenty of that since then. He just says things, I think people have taken it wrong.”

“He’s also taking pictures of you? Hahah, really. I think you’ve just become sort of his muse.”

That’s when things all at once cracked in Myungsoo’s mind. The muse thing. How Sungyeol said he’d be willing to be one for him. Now things are the complete opposite. It’s Myungsoo that’s become his muse and all those photos they had taken became proof of it. It was a little eye-opening. He didn’t know why he’d forgotten äbout that part this entire time.

“Shit. Wait.” Myungsoo cupped his face to analyze his situation again.

Sungjong laughed even louder. “Don’t tell me you just realized that _now_?”

“Shut up.”

“Hyung, you look more like you know less about this than anyone else. It’s not really a bad thing, you know? Before this I always saw you doing nothing at home, so I feel kind of glad that you’re going outside more often than before. Although I do envy that guy for bringing you out when I kept asking you to come to my gatherings, hyung.”

“Yeah, but your gatherings are at ridiculous early times in the morning. I go with Sungyeol in the afternoon.”

“Sungyeol, there it is! That’s his name?”

Myungsoo wasn’t even surprised anymore at how little he’d actually mentioned on the photographer guy. He took the last piece of meat with his fingers to finish it off.

“Yeah, it’s his name. What did you think?

The door slid right open with Jinri bringing a light gust to the table. “Alright you two, not inviting me with all this smell creeping straight into my room. I brought your favorite rice milk so you won’t complain.” She walked the most direct path to the kitchen.

“Jinri~!” Sungjong grinned while Myungsoo just wished he could stand up and leave.

“What’s going on? What’re you guys talking about?” She set her own plate down and brought both of them small cups of the milk.

“Hyung’s become the muse for this photographer apparently.” There wasn’t a single hesitation in Sungjong.

“Photographer? The goldish-red haired one?” Jinri caught on. It wasn’t just Sungjong that had seen him.

“I swear I don’t know him.” Myungsoo said in a sorry attempt to save himself.

“You’re his muse? Already? Hah, I didn’t think that’d ever be a thing someone called you. I knew he was passing by a lot. He’s kind of adorable, too.”

“Yeah, if you imagine him with makeup and longer hair, I think he could pull it off really easily.” Sungjong added. Did they know what they were even talking about now? Sungyeol dressed up?

This went on for a minute longer than Myungsoo would’ve liked it to be.

“Hey, but wait Myungsoo you don’t get anything out of helping him, do you?”

“No. It just happens. The guy already looks desperate enough. He’s not a professional either. I think he’s still like studying or practicing for it.

“That’s even better then. You’re getting some sunlight instead of just taking up all the air in the building.” Jinri giggled. “I think being a muse for that isn’t bad.”

“He’s just fighting himself because he lost to someone else’s will.” Sungjong said, like Myungsoo wasn’t still sitting right across from him.

“Even then, you probably just sass him all the time isn’t it?”

“He never gets mad about anything I say.” Myungsoo told her.

“Ahh he already sounds so cool.” Both Jinri and Sungjong agreed. It was more fun this way to see Myungsoo stuck with someone starkingly different from him.

“He might end up stalking you guys.”

“That’s fine. He knows the building pretty well don’t you think?”

“I swear the landlord will scream one of these days because of it.”

Sungjong took the rice milk above his head mimicking a cloud. “Or what if he stands out too long that it starts to rain and _psshhhhhshsh_.”

“No, he’ll just take another shot.” Myungsoo laughed this time.  
“I already like this photographer friend. Tell him to come in one time. I want to see how good of pictures he takes. If you’re in all of them too.”

Myungsoo stood up from the table to take his plate way. Sungyeol was unknowingly taking up interest in more of his friends. It made him laugh in a way. It was probably that he didn’t have as many friends from the start because he hadn’t met the right kind of people yet. Myungsoo had already unknowingly been his muse, so he wasn’t going to suddenly stop because of it. It was fun this way, and he wanted to keep it.

“You’ll let him know?” Jinri asked.

“Heh, if he let’s me.” Myungsoo answered while letting the clanking of the plates cover his voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this one was messy too. I barely even edited a thing or too. Again this one wasn't part of the original draft either but I'm glad I got to include Jinri and Sungjong more.
> 
> PSA just clearing things up. Sungyeol adresses Myungsoo in second AND third person ie: he calls Myungsoo's own name when talking to him. He's not talking to anyone else about him, it's just third person. I thought it went well with how much he respects him. Like the formal version of you in English ;DDD


End file.
